The food looked amazing, and my mouth watered instantly at the sight of the heaping pile of fluffy pancakes and the steaming hash browns.
“Here you go, hon. Anything else I can get for you?” Bonnie asked.
“Actually,” I said, realizing there actually could be something else Bonnie might be able to help me with. “Are you hiring, by chance?”
Bonnie blinked. “Looking for work?”
“Yeah, I just moved in down the street. Next door to Jay?” I pointed out the window in the general direction of where I’m pretty sure I came from.
Bonnie’s brows shot up. “Dr. Alarcón? Really?”
So he was a doctor. Now the massive cabin castle made sense. I gave a relieved smile. “Yeah, I’m staying in the cabin across the lake from him.” I was glad to know that the waitress knew of Jay.
“Well, we could use bussers. Ever waitressed before?”
I winced. “No, I’ve never bussed tables before, but I am a dental hygienist. I have a bachelor’s degree, and I’m a fast learner.”
“Dental hygienist, huh?” Bonnie’s smile remained polite, but I could tell she didn’t really know what to make of it. Dentistry wasn’t a profession that usually made peopleoohandaah.It was typically something people feared, actually.
And in my opinion, the people who actually liked going to the dentist were psychopaths, and those whoenjoyed working for one were even more mentally deranged.
Dentistry wasn’t like the medical field for instance. Being a doctor or nurse was widely considered a heroic job. But scraping plaque and drilling decay out of teeth was just, well, gross.
At least the medical field could be romanticized. People often watched dramas about sizzling hospital romances on TV: nurses falling for doctors, doctors infatuated with surgeons. I’d seen them all. Blood was so much cooler than spit, and broken bones were a hundred times more interesting than chipped enamel.
The waitress let out a small chuckle. “Well, I don’t know if the owner would hire you without any experience. But I heard the ski resort is hiring right now. Maybe you could check them out?”
“Thank you, I’ll look into it.” My heart sank a little—my first rejection. But at least I’d asked. I would check out the resort next, then browse online as well, and maybe check for fliers at the grocery store, if people still did that sort of thing.
“No problem. Is there anything else I can help you with, hon?”
My empty cabinets flashed into my mind, and I nodded. “Could I grab some muffins to go?” During my insane cleaning spree, I’d discovered that the fridge was broken too, so I would be stuck with non-perishables for a time.
“Of course. I’ll be back with your check and some muffins.”
Bonnie went back to the kitchen, and I tried to push aside thoughts of job applications so I could enjoy thedelicious breakfast in front of me. After all the cleaning I’d done, I’d worked up quite an appetite.
I scarfed down the whole stack of buttery pancakes and nearly the entire plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Once I finished off the whipped cream from my hot chocolate and had a few sips of the chocolaty goodness, I was stuffed. I sat back in my chair with a groan.
That’s when Bonnie returned, holding my check and a box of muffins. “Here you go. No rush. And good luck on finding a job.”
“Thank you,” I said.
After finishing up at the diner, I signed the check, slid back into my car with my box of muffins, and had barely turned into the driveway when my phone started ringing.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Are you alive?” Emily asked, and I let out a dry laugh.
“Barely. The cabin was way worse than I thought. I almost died of dust inhalation.”
“All the fresh mountain air will clear that up in no time. Don’t worry.”
“I miss you,” I said with a sigh.
“I miss you too. How’s job hunting?”
I found myself smiling. “Actually, I think I found a place I can apply to. The ski resort is looking for new people.”
